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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The Forgetting Place by John Burley

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for John Burley's latest, The Forgetting Place.

Dr. Lise Shields doesn't think her newest patient belongs at Menaker State Hospital. His arrival was unorthodox, to be sure: no transfer order, no patient history, no paperwork at all. In fact, Lise isn't even sure why he's been committed at all. Lise questions her superiors and is told to let things be, but she soon notices that she's being followed. By the time the FBI approaches her, she knows there's something fishy about the whole case.

Readers, I've been fretting about how to review this book without giving anything away and I'm going to just have to suck it up. Be warned, I can't promise there will be NO spoilers but I will do my absolute best to avoid them.

I wanted to love The Forgetting Place. Burley's writing is crisp and toned. Lise Shields's voice is perfectly crafted from page one. And the tension! Yes, there's enough suspense and tension to keep any reader captivated throughout The Forgetting Place.

So why didn't I love it? Because I feel like I've seen it before. Not the story itself. Not the characters. Not even the specific setting. But the twist. Ah, that twist. I saw it coming from the start. My reading history left me well prepared for that twist, which is not at all to say that it isn't well done just that it wasn't the surprise it was meant to be, I'm sure.

That aside, I did quite like The Forgetting Place. Lise's own story plays out in such a way that the reader can see why she's ended up where she is. Meanwhile, Jason's (her patient) story plays out slowly enough to ratchet up the intensity of the story. By the time Lise starts to realize why he's at Menaker, she feels certain that she herself is in grave danger and everything that happens around her supports that fear.

The Forgetting Place is definitely a gripping read and one that will greatly appeal to fans of psychological suspense.

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on John Burley and his work, you can visit his website here. You can also like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.